Another promotional products distributor is now a certified B Corp.

EcoPlum (asi/185835) in New York City made the announcement this week. The new certification affirms that the company, a women-owned business enterprise certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, has met a certain threshold for social responsibility, environmental practices, legal accountability and transparency.

“We are so proud to have the B Corp credential for our sustainable promotional products business, along with the authority it conveys for values-driven enterprises like ours,” says Gia Machlin, president and CEO of EcoPlum, which focuses on providing sustainable products to promo clients. “We have always pursued a triple bottom line strategy focused on people, planet and profit.”

The nonprofit B Lab, which undertakes the lengthy audit process for each organization and confers official certification, also scrutinizes each company’s legal structure, supply chain practices, philanthropy, customer relations and employee engagement. EcoPlum achieved the certification after a high B Impact Assessment score and amending its bylaws to ensure that the impact of a decision on all shareholders, employees, clients and suppliers, along with the community and environment, will be taken into account.

EcoPlum has a Sustainable Swag line of items, and product sourcing criteria include USDA organic, fair trade, biodegradable, renewable, recycled, reusable, women/minority-owned, USA-made, handcrafted or artisan, vegan, nontoxic and third-party eco-labels.

“EcoPlum helps clients make environmentally conscious choices for their branded products,” says Machlin, “and the B Corp credential is that extra seal of approval that they can rely on when choosing to do business with us.”

EcoPlum is a Green America Gold Business, and a member of the American Sustainable Business Council, the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the Fair Labor Association and the Plastic Pollution Coalition.

The company joins a growing number of other B Corp organizations in promo, such as Harper + Scott (asi/220052) in New York City, Raining Rose (asi/80489) in Iowa, and Canada’s McCabe Promotional Advertising (asi/264901) and Full Line Specialties (asi/199688).

In recent months, a number of firms have put sustainability measures into place, such as Top 40 supplier PCNA’s (asi/78897) new forest-friendly certifications, and a new solar panel array at Top 40 distributor 4imprint’s (asi/197045) distribution center in Oshkosh, WI. Promo startup SwagCycle also recently announced that since its launch in 2019, they’ve kept more than 776,000 products out of landfills and donated more than $2.1 million to charity.

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